


Glances and Guesswork

by captain_rocket



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Canon Compliant, Clawhauser is Very Gay and Very Lonely, Coming Out, Gen, Judy is Very Supportive, Nick is a Very Confused Bab, Post-Canon, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-16 22:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7287184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_rocket/pseuds/captain_rocket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick and Judy have been friends for a while, but Judy thinks Nick is hiding something.<br/>Nick is definitely hiding something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glances

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fic, so I hope you like it! For background, this is basically a prequel fic for a longer fic I want to write, so it's only gonna be two chapters.  
> Things to note- Nick and Judy live together, but are not in a relationship. The shipping will be pretty ambigious in this one, so you can read it as platonic if you prefer.

  
Nick had climbed into the police cruiser that morning with only one thing on his mind. Coffee.

  
“Judy… I swear, if you don't stop at the next Snarlbucks I might actually pass out.”

  
Judy sneered playfully at the older fox.

  
“Aww, did mister nocturnal stay up late last night?” She turned back to the road, adopting a more serious expression. “Seriously, though, no. We’ve already shown up late twice this month, you know the rules.

  
Nick huffed before flicking his mirrored aviators over his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, three strikes and all that. Gosh, who knew law enforcement would be so strict?”

  
Judy giggled to herself. “We’ll get some from the machine at the station. At least we don’t have to pay for it that way.”

  
Nick smiled slyly. “Mmmm. They do have the best black coffee.”

  
Now it was Judy’s turn to huff. “Yeah, but that’s all they have. You’d think they’d get the funding for at least an espresso every once in awhile.” Judy gasped conspiratorily. “Oh, maybe we can get Clawhauser to go on a Snarlbucks run!”

  
Nick chuckled. “Yeah, that’ll go down well. I can hear him now. ‘Oh Judy, I feel so betrayed! You would use me, an innocent bystander, for your menial labors? Oh, the heartbreak!’”

  
Judy giggled again, louder this time. “He does not sound like that!”

  
Nick’s smile widened. “You laugh because you know it’s true.”

  
Nick noticed the pause that lingered between them. He glanced over to Judy.

  
The bunny was staring at him with a smile on her face, her bright purple eyes piercing his own. He noticed something in her irises. Something he couldn’t place. It wasn’t pity, like he’d seen so often before, but-

  
“What? Is there something on my face?”

  
Judy snapped him out of his reverie. “What? Oh, no, sorry, I was just… staring off into space.” Nick adjusted his sunglasses and faced the passenger’s window.

  
Judy turned back to the road as well, feeling slightly perplexed. Nick’s mirrored sunglasses made it impossible to get a read on his expression. It was a shame too, she thought to herself. She had always been good at reading faces.

  
The cruiser pulled into the last open spot for officers and the two mammals hopped out. Judy hastily attempted to drag her partner into the station. She was unsuccessful.

  
“Come ON Nick! We need to get in there before the morning briefing!” Nick scoffed, walking leisurely despite the bunny pulling him by the tie. “Listen, Carrots, It’s only 6:45. We’ll be there for the morning roll call, calm down.” Judy groaned and gave up her struggle. “I know it’s early for YOUR standards, but every other officer is here already! They’re probably all in the squad room waiting on us! I bet Chief Bogo’s lecturing them about punctuality and the importance of arriving to work early and-”  


Nick placed his paw over her mouth, cutting her rant short. “Hopps, you need to learn how to chill out. It’ll be fine. In fact, I bet they’re all gathered around good ol’ Benny’s desk, listening to the hot new celebrity gossip.”

  
As the two entered, Nick’s supposition was quickly proven false. The stout officer sat at the greeting table alone, solemnly staring into his cup of coffee.

  
“Hey, Benny, what’s up? Why so glum, eh?” Nick flashed a sympathetic smile and pushed his glasses up onto his head.

  
Clawhauser sighed and absentmindedly stirred his coffee, unsettling sugar from the bottom of the cold cup. “Oh, nothin. Just contemplating my inevitable lonely demise. No big deal.” He gave another dramatic sigh before sipping his drink and looking up to the pair. “Hey, Judy. Enjoy the time you have with Nick before it’s cut short by the dastardly blade of heartbreak.”

  
Judy jumped up to the desk, patting Clawhauser’s head consolingly. “Aww, Ben, you ok?” She lowered her voice and leaned closer. “Did Mikey-” The cheetah reared his head up and turned away, swiveling his chair so his back faced the bunny. “Don’t say his name. It just makes me hate life more.”

  
Nick leaned over the desk and slung an arm across the downtrodden cat’s shoulders. “Hey, listen pal, don't let that depressing old bobcat getcha down! Believe me, Benny, there’s a whole lot more fish in the sea. A lot less ugly ones too.” Clawhauser sniffled and let out a small laugh. “You’re right. He did look a bit grizzly, didn’t he.” Judy giggled. “Talk about a bear, huh?” Clawhauser laughed harder, wiping a tear from his eye. “Aww, you guys! You always know how to make a cheetah feel better, don't’cha!”

  
Nick smiled warmly. “You bet, bud. Hey, listen, why don't we get you coffee and donuts later, back at our place, after you clock out tonight - our treat, right Hopps? - and we’ll talk about what an asshole ol’ Mikey was till the sun comes up, okay? It is the weekend, after all.” Clawhauser beamed at the pair. “Guys, that is so sweet of you. Sure, I’ll come back to your place tonight. Sounds like fun!” The cheetah swiveled his chair around to look at his monitor. “And, um, not that i’m not enjoying this, but I think you guys should get to the squad room. It’s 6:57, and you know how much Bogo hates it when you’re late to roll call.”

  
The words ‘6:57’ has no sooner left his mouth before Judy sprinted off for her life. Nick lingered till Ben finished, but promptly set off at a reasonable jog to their assignment room, flashing Clawhauser the double guns on his departure. The officer sighed again, sipping his stagnant coffee. “Oh, well, there they go. Well, Bogo’s always the latest anyway. They’ll be fine.”

  
In the squad room, officers of all shapes and sizes (mostly large) gathered. Nick and Judy arrived with time to spare, so the room was chaotic and disorganized. The hum of conversation filled the air, and no one even noticed the two officers’ arrival. Well, except for Officer McHorn, who sat grumpily in the chair beside them, and deemed it far too early in the morning to engage in small talk.

  
Judy breathed a sigh of relief and ran the previous conversation through her head. Suddenly she looked up at the fox next to her. “How do you do that?” Nick looked down at her quizzically. “Do what? Look this hot in uniform? Its not that hard when you’ve got my smokin’ bod, hun.” Judy giggled softly again. “No, not that, dumb fox. I mean what you did earlier, with Clawhauser. How do you brighten someone's whole day so fast?” Nick smiled, but Judy noticed the harshness behind it. A forced smile.  


“Well I am quite the charmer, Carrots. I don’t think you give me enough credit!” He laughed to himself, and his rabbit partner recognized its genuinity. She was puzzled.

  
“Nick, are you-”

  
“LISTEN UP LOUDMOUTHS, IT’S TIME FOR ROLL!”

  
Chief Bogo burst into the room, strolling to his podium with an air of intimidation and authority. He carried himself with such poise that Nick often wondered if he practiced. Took lessons, maybe.

  
“Alright, jabberjaws, looks like everything is in order where roll is concerned. No one showing up late with frappuccinos, thankfully.”

  
The room heard a hearty chuckle from the officers, as Judy pulled her ears down in embarrassment. Nick, on the other hand, puffed up his chest and adopted a face of bewilderment.

  
“Chief, sir, you surely don't mean to accuse me, a dedicated officer, of running late?”

  
Bogo smiled, uncharacteristically so. Judy found it rather unnerving.

  
“Okay, can it, Wilde. Yes, today is looking to be another leisurely one, but that’s no excuse for wasting time.”

  
“My apologies sir, but-” Nick let out a strange yelp as Judy kicked him under the table.

  
Another round of laughter filled the air.

  
The buffalo rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses.

  
“Now, on to business. Just patrol assignments for today, people, but keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. Its summer, and young punks are always looking for trouble when they’ve got nothin’ to do. Officers Fangmeyer, Grizzoli, take upper Tundratown. Wolford, Snarlof, the downtown district. Hopps, Wilde, Little Rodentia. Anderson, McHorn…”

  
The day passed uninterestingly for the two officers. Dealing with local security forces turned out to be a hassle, as it always was, but Nick managed to work out a peace for the day. Unfortunately for the pair, that meant no cruiser.

  
The two strolled around the little city quietly, both deep in thought. Judy ruminated on her partner’s strange behavior. She wondered what he could be hiding before deciding that it was up to him to tell her, and not up to her to find out. This decision comforted her enough to relax and enjoy the warm summer day.

Nick thought back to their morning together. He hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary before the ride to work. He hadn’t noticed anything quite like that for a while, in fact. What was that little bunny thinking? Did she look at him like that often? Did she find out about…? No, she couldn’t have. He’d been very careful. And yet…he felt like he should tell her anyway.

  
He sighed to himself and sipped the bitter black cup of joe he had snagged from the station earlier. He never had been good at reading faces.

  
They patrolled Little Rodentia on foot until their shift was up, and they reclaimed their cruiser from the entrance to the small metropolis. And aside from the disappointing lack of driving, the two reported in nothing out of the ordinary upon their return to the ZPD station that evening. They clocked out and met in front of Clawhauser’s desk at 7:05, much to the surprise of the cheetah.

  
“O. M. goodness, is it the end of the day already? Geez, I must have lost track of time! I still have to put the finishing touches on this completed case file…” Ben looked longingly at the manila folder emblazoned with the ZPD logo.

  
Nick flashed his signature smile. “Hey, Benny, no sweat. Why don’t you finish up on that and catch us back at the apartment later? That’ll give us time to get some donuts and clean up, right Judes?”

  
Judy grinned. “Nick, I told you not to call me that. My dad calls me that. The fact that you’re only ten years younger than him just makes it weirder.”

  
Nick furrowed his brow mockingly. “I beg your pardon miss, but last time I checked, it was fifteen years.”

  
Clawhauser giggled. “Come on you two, get movin’. If you don’t leave now I’ll never get this done! That would really give Bogo to complain to me about.”

  
Nick and Judy departed, bickering into the night. Clawhauser watched them leave with a goofy smile on his face. “Those two… hmm.” He turned back to the overstuffed file next to him. “Oh geez, better finish this up quick!”


	2. Reflecting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I said this would only be two chapters, but I was writing this and realized there would be a weird space in the middle and it would mess up the flow. Plus, this chapter is very Judy-centric and I want the final chapter to focus more on Nick. So sorry that this one is so short, but I promise that the last one will be better because of it.

As the sun set that evening Judy parked her truck outside of her and Nick’s apartment building. Nick, holding a box of donuts in the passenger's seat, managed to open the door with his free paw and hopped out. Judy turned the key in the blue pickup and sighed as the engine’s hum quieted. She looked around the inside of the car and smiled to herself, thinking back to when she drove all the way from the Burrows to Zootopia just to win back Nick’s trust. And to solve the Nighthowlers case, of course. But mostly for Nick. 

Nick turned back to the truck, already reaching for the front door of the building. 

“Hey, Carrots, you coming? Or are you planning on sitting out there all night? Help me out here! I only have two paws.” 

Judy’s smile grew as she jumped out of the old truck herself.

“What, a big ol’ fox like you can’t handle a few donuts? I thought you were handier than that, Wilde.”

Nick grinned. “Alright, seriously, help me with the door. If I drop these Clawhauser might eat me instead.”

Judy held the door open as Nick carried the precious cargo towards the elevators. 

As they rode up to their floor, Judy continued reminiscing about the last year on the force. The nine months of training had been hard on Nick, but she knew he could handle it. And while he didn’t pass with flying colors like she had, he did finish at the head of his class during written portions and communication skills testing. She could stand to learn a thing or two about communication.

Nick looked down at the bunny, her nose scrunched up and eyebrows furrowed. That was her thinking face. She looked so darn cute like that.

He chuckled to himself. “You know, if you keep making that face it could get stuck like that.”

Judy started and looked up at the predator. “What face? I’m not making a face.”

Nick scrunched up his own muzzle and scowled. “This face. Your thinking face.”

The rabbit crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nick’s features relaxed and he sighed. “Judy, c’mon. You know you can tell me-”

The fox was cut off by the ding of the elevator. Three ewes crowded into the small mirrored cabin, placing themselves in between the pair in a pack. As the door closed Judy sighed and leaned against the wall behind her, letting her arms fall to her sides. She turned, catching Nick’s eye over the wool of the trio separating them. He looked crestfallen, worried, unsure… Judy felt ashamed. This game of cat and mouse she was playing was only making him feel worse. Nick’s head snapped, shying away from the eye contact. He stared holes into the floor. Well, as much as possible with the box of donuts in front of it.

The lift dinged again, and the green lights above the door flashed Judy and Nick’s floor number. Nick exited the cabin quickly, pushing past the sheep in front of him. Judy caught their quiet exclamations as she trailed behind.

“Ugh, what’s his problem?”

“What a jerk.” 

“Typical pred.” 

Judy saw Nick’s shoulders tighten as she flinched.

“Oh, Nick, don’t-”

Nick stopped at their door and looked back at her, expression neutral, but Judy saw his clenched paw and the muscle jumping in his jaw.

“It’s fine, Judy, I’m used to it. Could you help me with the door again, though?”

“...Sure.”

As the two entered their apartment, Nick flicked the light switch and set the box of pastries on the wooden table in their kitchen. Nick moved to the cheap coffee machine on the counter and got it started, putting the stained empty pot in place. Judy stood in the entrance of the kitchen, watching him awkwardly. The previous encounter replayed in her head, the prey animals’ words looping around her brain. They sounded mocking, disgusted, repulsed… afraid. She heard the fear in their voices. It had been almost a year since the ‘savage’ incident, and mammals still held onto their prejudices for their lives. She silently shook her head. This wasn’t about that. She had to focus on Nick. He’d been acting so strangely, and she really needed to know why.

“So, um…” She was gonna do it. She was gonna ask him what was on his mind. It was time for her to figure out what all the fuss was about.

Nick turned his head, sleeves rolled up, paws wet from washing dishes. His bright green eyes flashed and his fur seemed to burn bright like fire from the light in the kitchen. He gave a small grin and answered with that impish voice of his.

“Yeah?”

Shoot.

“Er, h-have you heard from Ben?”

Nick’s grin grew to a smug smile.

“Yeah, actually, he texted me just a minute ago. He should be here in a sec’.”

Judy rubbed the back of her head, blushing slightly. Why was she blushing? She should NOT be blushing.

“Cool, cool. That’s fine.”

Now the smile was gone, replaced with a concerned frown.

“Is something wrong Hopps? If you want, I can tell Ben that something came up.”

Now he was worried about her again. She cursed mentally. This whole conversation is a mess.

“No, no, I’m just tired. Long day, you know.”

The fox turned back to the dishes, his smug smile back. “Yep. I don’t know if you realized, but I was there for most of it.”

Judy laughed and walked back to the living room. She switched on their old television, and stood watching the news for a moment. She really should have been straightforward with Nick, but maybe now wasn’t the best time. He had just run into a group of speciesist sheep, after all. And Clawhauser was coming over…. Maybe later, she decided. She would definitely bring it up later.

The smartphone on the counter buzzed, and Nick wiped his paw on a towel before picking it up. 

“Ben says he’s in the hall. Didn’t you tell him our apartment number?”

“Aw, shoot, I must have forgot. I’ll go get him.”

Judy opened the door, popped her head out, and, sure enough, the chubby cheetah was standing near the elevator, looking up and down the hall. He had changed out of his uniform into a pair of jeans and a bright pink tee shirt. He rushed over to Judy, smiling widely.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late, that case file was a hassle.”

Judy beamed back at him. “Oh, no big deal. We just got back ourselves. Come on in!” 

Clawhauser immediately sat himself at the kitchen table, staring at the box of donuts with wide pupils.

“O. M. Goodness! These are from my favorite shop! How did you know?”

Nick laughed. “Listen, Benny, you have donuts almost every day. You think I didn’t notice the logo all this time?”

“You’re the best, Nick, seriously.”

The coffee machine beeped and Judy grabbed three mugs from the cupboard.

“Coffee?”

“Oh, goodness, yes. I am so tired out.”

Judy poured the cheetah a cup and handed it to him. He grabbed creamer from the counter and six packets of sugar, dumping both in the mug vigorously. Judy poured herself a cup, added a small amount of creamer, and sat next to Clawhauser. 

Nick sat down with them after loading up the dishwasher and took the first donut out of the box, dipping it into his own black cup of coffee.

“So, Clawhauser, now that you broke up with that poor excuse for a feline, I’ve gotta tell ya, that new tiger recruit? He is definitely available.”


	3. Confidante

Clawhauser glanced over at the clock on the counter and gasped loudly. “O. M. Goodness! It’s already 1 in the morning?”

Judy turned back in shock. “No way, really? Geez, time flies, I guess.”

Nick smiled. “Wow, Carrots, I’m surprised you aren’t tired out. Even I’m getting a little sleepy.”

Judy shook her head. “Jeez, Nick, just because I’m not nocturnal. Shame on you.”

Ben giggled, and then yawned. “Well, I’m gonna turn in. I do have to wake up eventually tomorrow. Or today, I guess.”

The chubby cheetah stood, grabbing the last donut from the box. For the road, of course. Judy stood too, and walked him to the door.

“Alright, you guys, have a great weekend! I had fun tonight, really. We should do it again sometime!”

Clawhauser wobbled down the hall, munching on his donut and humming to himself. Judy closed the door and stumbled to the couch, flopping face down on it.

Nick shook his head in disapproval. “Hopps, what do you think you’re doing? Look at all the dishes that need washing!”

Judy groaned into the cushions before slouching to the kitchen.

“I still don’t understand how he can eat that many donuts and still be in enough shape for the police force.

Nick chuckled. “Judy, I think you’re being just a little lenient on your definition of ‘in shape’. Anyway, it’s your fault we have all these dirty dishes. You really didn’t have to offer him new plates for each donut.”

Judy smirked. “Hey, I don’t know about you, dumb fox, but where from where I come from we have a little thing called courtesy. Try it sometime.”

The two washed dishes in silence for a couple minutes, both replaying the day in their minds. Nick smiled to himself. It really had been a great one. Spending time with Judy was the only thing he could ever ask for, and now they worked together. And Clawhauser was a great friend. Someone he could empathize with… he had never had a friend like that.

He could feel eyes on him. Judy’s eyes. Those bright violet globes pierced his soul.

“Judy… if you keep staring at me like that, mammals are gonna talk.”

Judy huffed and scrubbed a mug. “Hey, can you drop the facade for a second?”

Nick halted his cleaning. “Jeez. Straight to the point, huh, Hopps?”

Judy sat the mug in the sink and crossed her arms. “We need to talk.”

Nick put the plate he was wiping down on the counter. He exhaled calmly and avoided the bunny’s gaze. “Yeah, I figured.”

Judy frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nick glanced up at the ceiling before meeting Judy’s eyes with his own cold stare. “You’ve been staring at me like I’m a sick kit all day. You only stare at me like that when you think I’m lying to you or hiding something.”

Judy raised an eyebrow. “And you say you can’t read faces.”

The older mammal gave a grave grin. “Well, I can read you,” He said as he walked over to the table and sat facing Judy, “and that’s enough sometimes.”

Judy leaned against the table and sighed. “If you really don’t want to talk about it right now, we don’t have to, you know.” She paused, reluctantly. “Maybe in the morning,” She offered. 

Nick huffed to himself. “Listen, Judy, I just think there are some things that should be… private, you know?”

She scoffed. “Nick, we are partners. That means there is no privacy. We can’t keep secrets if we’re gonna be a team."

She eyed him warily. “I saw the way you looked at Clawhauser.”

The fox started. “Wh-what?”

“Everytime he mentioned a person he loved, an old partner, a cute guy he saw on the street, you stared at him with this strange look.” 

A small laugh rang in her ears. “You really are a very nosy bunny.”

She gave a small smile. “I prefer observant, personally.” She returned to her serious expression. “Nick, do you have a problem with mammals like him?”

Nick started again, the look of surprise on his face bigger this time. “Wait, what?”

Judy continued, a sympathetic smile slowly growing on her face. “I know it may seem a little strange at first, but once you get to know them they’re really just like the rest of us! In fact, my old neighbors were just the cutest couple! You remember them, right? The loud ones?”

Nick’s look of surprise slowly shifted into a smile. A very, very wide smile. And laughter. Lots of laughter. 

“Hold- oh my god- hold on. You thought that I was a HOMOPHOBE? You’re joking, right?”

Judy blushed violently. “O-okay, I’m guessing I was wrong. But you can’t fault me for jumping to that conclusion.”

Nick started gasping for air. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Carrots, help. Oh god. I’m dying.”

Judy’s cheeks were a deeper red than the fox’s fur at this point.

After taking a few deep breaths Nick sighed deeply and smiled.

“Oh, Carrots, I wasn’t looking at him like that because he’s gay. I was looking at him because…” His smiling eyes shifted to a calculating view. 

“I’m not exactly straight, Judy.”

Judy peered at him quizzically for a moment, before her own eyes widened with realization and she shot out of her seat.

“OH! Oh, Nick I didn’t mean to pry, I’m so sorry! God, I didn’t realize, I can’t believe, I’m so stupid-”

Nick silenced the anxious rabbit with a firm, all encompassing hug. 

“It’s fine, Judy, it’s totally fine. I’ve been wanting to tell you anyway, but I was so afraid of what you’d say-”

Judy pulled back from the hug.

“Okay, hold on. You were worried about ME finding out? Why on earth would I care about that? You know me, Nick! You should have a little bit more faith in the person you’ve been living with for the past couple months!”

Nick sighed sadly, turning away from his smaller companion and hunching over the counter.

“I know, I know. But when I first met you, all I knew about you was what you told me, about growing up in Bunnyburrow and all that. It’s not exactly the most liberal of neighborhoods, Fluff. Besides, with all the complications them, it would have just been another thing to hold against me.”

Judy still glared, unappeased by his explanation. “Sure, but what about later? We’ve been friends for more than a year, Nick! There was plenty of opportunities for you to come out as…” Judy closed an eye. “... You’re definitely not gay. Bi?”

Nick smiled. “Smooth, Carrots. It just didn’t seem all that important. Besides, I’m still the same old fox, whether you knew or not.”

Judy’s playful glare softened into a calm smile. “I know, Nick. I just… I don’t know, I expected you to be a little more honest with me. You know I’d still love you no matter what, right?

The fox gave a solemn sigh. “Yes, but in my experience, people like you are few and far between in my life. You’re actually only the fourth person to know… well, who matters, anyways,”

Judy felt a small surge of satisfaction. “R-really? Who else?”

Nick sat at the table and fiddled with a plastic coffee stirrer left over from the earlier treats.

“Well, Finnick, obviously. And then…” Nick glanced at the floor. “My parents. They took it a lot worse than you or Fin did. Well, at least my dad did. My mom was pretty chill about it.”

Judy sat opposite to him at the table. “Is… is that why your parents split?”

The fox chuckled quietly. “No, no, my dad left long before I even knew I liked guys. It certainly didn’t help matters when he found out, though.” He leaned back, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow. “He was screaming at my mom about how she raised me to be a sissy, and how ‘ain’t no son of mine is gon’ be no…’” Nick glanced up at his opposite. 

Judy’s hand covered her open mouth as she stared wide-eyed at Nick. He halfheartedly attempted a smile, but it ended up more of a grimace. “Yeah. Anyway, the neighbors called Cub Protective Services, luckily enough, and had him taken away and given a restraining order. Haven’t seen the sad sack since.”

Judy reached a paw across the table and placed it on his shoulder. 

“Nick, that’s horrible.”

Nick smiled at her sadly. “Yeah. Yeah it is.” He sighed again. “The point is, I look at Clawhauser like that because he's one of the only mammals I've met that doesn't hide it. He's not ashamed of himself, or his body, or the way he acts." 

"Oh." Judy looked at the empty box of donuts on the counter. "Yeah, he sure is something."

Nick chuckled. "I’m just glad you found out sooner rather than later.” 

He looked at Judy with a fresh gleam in his eye. Judy saw the newfound confidence, the hope, in those green irises. 

She smiled. “So, you never answered my question earlier.”

“Oh yeah? What about?”

“After you offered Clawhauser the coffee and donuts, when we were in the squad room. I asked, ‘How can you brighten someone’s day so fast’?”

Nick smiled. A real smile. No strained muscles, no cold eyes. Genuine.

“You flatter me, Judy. You really do.”

She smiled back.

“You know you’re my best friend, right?”

Judy smirked playfully. “Whatever happened to Finnick? Now that you’re one of the fuzz you can’t be besties with that ol’ hustler?”

Nick closed his eyes and lay his head on the table, folding his arms beneath himself. “You know what I mean, sly bunny.”

She smiled.

“Yes, I do.”

A soft snore came from the chair across from the bunny.

She pulled a pillow off the couch and stuffed it under his head slowly, careful not to wake her partner. His sleeping form 

“You’re my best friend too, dumb fox.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, my first fanfiction ends. I'm so glad at least somebody enjoyed the stuff that runs through my head all day when I should be working on homework  
> I have ideas for two stories, so this definitely isn't the last you'll hear of me. Or maybe it is. Idk.  
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments, you guys are awesome. <3


End file.
